When it comes to marketing your product or service, it’s essential to understand the behavior of your ideal customer or client. And that’s getting harder to do, according to professor of marketing and industry consultant Michael Solomon. Author of the book The New Chameleons: How to Connect with Consumers Who Defy Categorization, Michael discusses how it’s harder to guess at our customers’ and clients’ behavior today because they’ve become so difficult to categorize in a neat little box.  Gone are the days of labeling someone as a Yuppie or soccer mom and knowing exactly what that means. We have dig deeper to understand our customers and clients. We have to listen harder and ask more questions. And we have to accept their ownership over our brands. No longer can we dictate that our brand means this or that. As Michael notes, the lines have blurred between producer and consumer. Highlights: We are selling meaning, not functionality People buy brands because they reflect part of our identity We’ve moved away from a broad-casting society to a narrow-casting society It’s harder to define market segments today 

— Michael has a fabulous course called ENGAGE! that provides a comprehensive dive into consumer behavior and B2B marketing management. https://michael-solomon-s-school.teachable.com/p/engage?affcode=1092553_t8gzcrhu (Click here) (affiliate link) and use one of these codes to save $100 off the price of the course. AKS for $100 off if using the single payment plan, or 3PPAKS for $100 off of the first payment of the three-payment plan — Find Michael at https://www.michaelsolomon.com (https://www.michaelsolomon.com) https://www.angelakellysmith.com/podcast/understanding-changes-in-consumer-behavior-with-michael-solomon (Link to this episode on the website) — Want to chat about starting your own podcast? https://the-marketing-chat.captivate.fm/schedule (Schedule a time here). Want help starting your own podcast? https://the-marketing-chat.captivate.fm/podcasting (Go here) Find Kelly https://the-marketing-chat.captivate.fm/home (here) Contact Kelly at hello@angelakellysmith.com Music by Gvidon Mentioned in this episode: The Podcast Launch Playbook -- If you’ve been thinking about starting your own podcast, The Podcast Launch Playbook will help you do it—step-by-step, super-simple, exactly what you need to go from idea to launch!

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